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One-third of enrollees are 35 and under! And other fun facts about the NY State of Health

Posted January, 14 2014 by Amanda

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The data is in! Late yesterday afternoon, the federal government released a new enrollment report showing that 2.2 million people signed up for health insurance on the federal or state Marketplaces between October and the end of December. But, the really exciting thing about the new report is the demographics information – age, gender, income, and other information. Finally, we get to see who is enrolling, not just how many of us. One in four enrollees are young adults between 18 and 34. Fifty-four percent are female, and nearly 80 percent selected a plan with financial assistance. These numbers are for enrollment in private health insurance, or “Qualified Health Plans” (QHPs).

These federal numbers are interesting, of course, but what is really going on in our own back yard? Which New Yorkers are finding health insurance plans on the Marketplace, and what are they finding? Luckily for us, right on the heals of the federal release NY State of Health issued its own detailed report. Here are some of the highlights:

Enrollment percentages by region align closely with population levels – 37 percent of enrollees are from New York City, with about 20 percent in Long Island and Mid-Hudson/Capitol/North Country, 15 percent in Central New York, and 7 percent in Western.

Nearly 1/3 of enrollees are under 35; 26 percent are between 18 and 34. (This number may increase as open enrollment continues. Young adult enrollment under the Massachusetts law didn’t spike until close to the end of enrollment, and Sarah Kliff of the Washington Post notes that most health policy experts expect a similar trend with the new Marketplaces.)

68 percent enrolled with financial assistance.

One in five people submitted their application through an in-person assistor (Navigator, Certified Application Counselor, Broker). The numbers were higher for those who requested financial assistance – one in four of these New Yorkers got help from an in-person assistor to apply.

The NY State of Health Marketplace has so far been one of the most successful in the country, with a relatively smooth enrollment process and impressive enrollment numbers. At nearly 157,000 enrollments in QHPs between October and December 28, New York is #3 in the nation when it comes to enrollment in QHPs, according to the state-by-state comparison in the federal report (behind California and just barely behind Florida). As we’ve noted before, our state is well on its way to meeting the goal of 1.1 million enrollees over the next three years.